


Closer

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-07-15
Updated: 2000-07-15
Packaged: 2018-11-20 11:23:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11334717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: Guess who's coming to dinner?





	Closer

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Closer by m. butterfly

Closer (1/1)  
by m. butterfly  
  
Rating: R for m/m affection & implied sex, coarse language  
Category: M/Sk  
Spoilers: Hollywood AD, Avatar, hint of foreshadowing for Requiem  
Archive: Sure--just keep "as is," please  
Summary: Guess who's coming to dinner?  
Author's notes: A follow-up to the DD-penned/directed snortfest "Hollywood AD," and yet another instalment in my "Resuscitation" universe; sort of a sequel to my story "Close." Beware of schmoop! Oh, yeah--I've taken some minor liberties with the canon timeline, i.e., in my universe, initial work on the "The Lazarus Bowl" began shortly before Mulder and Skinner became lovers. If you wanna find out how they got together in the first place, check out my website: Skinner.Mulder.com/walfox  
Acknowledgments: My undying gratitude to Lucy "Princess of Darkness" Snowe and Elizabeth "Divine Webmistress" Gerber for incomparable beta services: lightning quick and efficient as hell. I claim full responsibility for any post-beta errors.  
Dedication: I wrote this as a belated birthday story for a dear friend and Requited sister. Happy reading and many hugs, dot!  
Disclaimer: The characters of Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Dana Scully and Wayne Federman are the property of Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting; Fox also owns Bart Simpson and Seymour Skinner. However, the characters of Howard and Karen Skinner and their brood belong to me, and CC can't have 'em. No copyright infringement is intended, and no one is making a dime off this.

* * *

Closer (1/1)  
by m. butterfly

"It wasn't *that* bad."

"Walter, are you crazy? It sucked sh--" Fox Mulder remembered where he was, who was listening to him. "It *stunk*. And they completely distorted the facts."

For the first time that evening, Skinner's eight-year-old nephew regarded Mulder with something approaching interest. Matthew shared a spontaneous grin with his uncle before resuming his surly countenance and making a complete mess of his dessert.

Suppressing a sigh, Skinner turned back to Mulder. "It's just a movie, Fox."

"Oh, sure. A movie about an FBI agent named Fox Mulder--a total loser who's in love with his partner, Dana Scully, who's in love with their boss, one Assistant Director Walter Skinner."

"They used your real names? Ouch," Karen Davis-Skinner sympathized.

"Yeah. Ouch." Mulder lowered his face into his hands. "I'm not going back to Washington. Ever."

"Good. You can stay here." At 12, Skinner's niece was totally into boys. Especially hot ones. And Special Agent Fox Mulder was hot, all right. The fact that he was her scary uncle's boyfriend didn't faze her in the least.

Mulder's head came up, and he found himself the subject of an intense preteen gaze. "Uh, Heather. Well, um--"

Karen couldn't help but notice the way Mulder was colouring. She liked it. "It's nice that you want them to move to Dallas, pumpkin, but he was just kidding."

"No, I wasn't."

Howard Skinner rolled his eyes. Sometimes Mulder was such a--what was the term they used? Drama queen? "If this movie--what's it called? The Lazarus Bomb?"

"*Bowl*. Lazarus *Bowl*, Howie."

"Yeah, bowl. Whatever. Anyway, if it's as terrible as it sounds, it'll go straight to video and you'll have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, except that Walter's college pal arranged a private screening for the Hoover personnel. A private free screening. Which means there's no way in h--on earth that I'm ever stepping foot in that building again."

Skinner didn't flinch under Mulder's icy glare. "Look, it wasn't my idea, and you know it. Wayne never told me about the screening until after the Director gave it his stamp of approval. He wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh, it was a surprise, all right, *Skin-Man*."

"For God's sake, Walt!" Howie slapped the table in disbelief. "He's not still calling you that stupid nickname? After all these years?"

"Some people just never grow up. And Wayne Federman's one of them. I used to think he'd wind up selling used cars, or hawking steak knives from the trunk of his car."

Howard smirked. "Being a Hollywood producer's the next best thing, I guess."

"Speaking of Hollywood," Karen interrupted the trip down memory lane, "you still haven't told us who they cast as you guys."

"That's another thing that really piss--uh, steams me," Mulder answered. "Richard Gere played Walter, and Garry Shandling played me. Don't get me wrong. Shandling's great and everything, but I thought Richard Gere should have played me."

Karen quirked an eyebrow at her brother-in-law. "No offence, Walt, but Fox's right. He's more the Richard Gere type than you are."

Heather wanted to know who the two actors were.

"I don't think you've seen Garry Shandling in anything," Karen explained, "but Richard Gere's the guy Julia Roberts ending up marrying in The Runaway Bride."

"Oh, him." Heather cocked her head to the side, chewed on a lock of dark hair while squinting at Mulder. "I think you're, like, way cuter," she finally pronounced.

"Uh, thanks." Mulder's cheeks were turning crimson again.

Karen was utterly charmed by Walter's partner. And she'd only known him for three hours. "Who would you have picked to play Walt? Patrick Stewart?"

"Captain Picard," Howard supplied for Heather, who just rolled her eyes and said, "Duh!"

Mulder shook his head vehemently. "Not gorgeous enough. No one is." The look he gave Skinner was so adoring that Karen nearly sighed aloud. Then Mulder realized what he'd just said. And how he said it. "Sorry," he apologized, mostly to Skinner, who feigned exasperation but wasn't fooling anybody.

Matthew'd had enough. "Mom," he whined, "can I watch TV now? Or play Pokemon? I'm bored."

Frowning, the willowy brunette checked her watch. "Actually, Matthew, it's nearly 10 o'clock. Time for you and Heather to do your chores and go to bed."

"But Mom! We just finished dinner!"

"Can we stay up 'til 10?" Heather pleaded.

"Sorry, but the last time I checked, Thursdays are still school nights. Now, move it."

With quiet grumbles, the children helped clear the table and load the dishwasher. Minutes later, they came into the living room, where the adults and the dog had reassembled. 

"Say good-night," Karen instructed, "then go brush your teeth. Daddy and I will be there in five minutes to tuck you in."

Matthew solemnly shook hands with his uncle, mumbled something that sounded like "good-night" to Mulder, and took off down the hall.

Then Heather approached the couch where the two houseguests were sitting, nursing expensive cognac.

"Good-night, Uncle Walter. Good-night, Uncle Fox," she sang, kissing the cheek of one man, then the other, before racing away.

It was Karen who finally broke the stunned silence. "Well! I think you've made a friend for life there, Fox."

"Karen," Howard warned under his breath. "What did I tell you?"

She levelled a steady gaze at her husband. "I can't call him 'Mulder.' I'm a Southern girl, remember? It's either 'Mister Mulder' or 'Agent Mulder' or 'Fox,' and I prefer 'Fox.' I hope that's okay."

Mulder was studying his clasped hands. "Mmm," he muttered. "Bathroom?"

Briefly puzzled by the non-sequitur, she finally pointed, pointlessly. "Down the hall. First door on your right past the kitchen."

"Thanks."

"Fox?" Skinner began to rise, to follow the younger man. But he sat back down when Mulder gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and left the room, nearly tripping over the drowsing dog in his haste.

"Oh God, Walt," Karen apologized when she was sure Mulder was out of earshot. "Matthew's always been a little intimidated by you, but he's usually not this rude." 

Skinner removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's not Matthew who got under his skin. It's Heather. And you."

"What?!? I can understand why Heather making doe eyes at him all night would get on his nerves. But what the hell did I do?"

He chuckled sadly. "Rejection, cruelty--all things Fox can handle. But acceptance? Kindness? That totally freaks him out. Believe me."

"So what you're saying is I should treat him like shit, even though I like him? Can't do that, Walt."

"Of course you can't. Just keep doing what you're doing, and he'll get used to it. He's a very complex person."

"You mean, 'fucked-up,'" Howard added, then instantly wished he hadn't.

"Yeah, well, who isn't to some degree?" Karen shot back. "You know, Howie, this attitude of yours isn't helping."

"Sorry, sorry. I think Mulder's okay. Really."

With a parting glance that could peel the paint off a car, Karen turned back to Skinner. "You picked a good one this time. I can tell."

"I did, didn't I? Most days I can hardly believe it." The Golden Retriever had since settled at his feet, and he absentmindedly stroked the thick, silky fur of the dog's neck. "I didn't think I could be this, well, happy. I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost him..."

"Then you both have to make sure that never happens." Howard had told Karen enough about Mulder for her to understand the full meaning behind Skinner's words.

"Mom! Daddy! We're ready!"

"Finally." Howard was grateful to have an excuse to take a break from discussing his brother's love life. "We'll be right back, Walt."

"Take your time. I'm gonna check on Fox."

Skinner stood outside the bathroom, listening but hearing nothing. "Babe?" He rapped lightly on the door. "You okay?"

"It's not locked."

Mulder was leaning against the counter, arms folded, staring at his feet. He didn't look up when Skinner stepped in front of him, gently gripped him by the upper arms, and pressed their foreheads together.

"Before I found out that Samantha died," he said at last, quietly, "I used to dream about her having kids one day. Me having nieces and nephews."

"Maybe it was too soon after your mother's death, and learning the truth about your sister, to do the 'meet-the-in-laws' thing."

Mulder wrapped himself around Skinner, buried his face in his neck. "Nah. It's okay. They're a great family. I'm probably still in shock over that stupid fucking movie."

"You wanna go home?" the older man asked as he returned the hug. Then he felt Mulder stiffen in his arms.

"Hell, no! Christ, Walter! Karen's made all these plans for us, went to so much trouble... We can't hurt her feelings like that."

"Relax, relax." Skinner rubbed Mulder's back until he loosened up again. "We'll stay, then. But you're gonna have to get used to the fact that the Official Fox Mulder Fan Club has two new members."

Mulder's laughter rumbled its way straight to Skinner's heart. "Damn! And I forgot to bring the extra decoder rings."

"Just don't give away this one," Skinner said as he stood back and took Mulder's left hand in his, smoothing the pad of his thumb over the gold band.

"As if, Seymour."

"I know. Give me a kiss, then we'd better get out of here."

"Yeah. Your brother probably thinks we're having sex."

"I don't think so. This bathroom's pretty small."

"We've done it is smaller places..."

"True. Let's go before I decide to take you up on the challenge."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Walking back to the living room, Mulder automatically placed his hand in Skinner's outstretched paw, retracting it only when Howie's eyes involuntarily zoomed in on their interlaced fingers.

"Sorry," Mulder offered. He sat down at a respectable distance from his lover.

"Listen, guys," Karen began, "I've seen men do a lot more than hold hands, so quit worrying. You don't have to sit so far apart, for crying out loud."

Karen Davis-Skinner was one of Dallas' most successful young litigators before she put her career on hold to have children. When Heather was two, one of Karen's best friends from college--a guy she'd dated until he came to term with his homosexuality--was diagnosed with AIDS. Ironically, he'd been in a committed, monogamous relationship for six years, and had contracted the disease during emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. Karen had been appalled at the way people behaved toward both him and his lover, calling them every vile name imaginable, and saying "people like that" got what they deserved. He was fired from his job, shunned by his family and most of his so-called friends, and died 18 months later in near poverty. Karen was devastated, but her grief was nothing compared with his lover's.

On the very day Matthew started elementary school, she began dispensing free legal advice at a poorly funded AIDS hospice. And when she wasn't helping people draw up wills or find ways to pay for their meds, she read to the sight-impaired, did laundry, emptied bed pans--in general, lent a hand wherever one was needed.

"Yes, I've seen it all," she continued as Mulder moved minutely closer to Skinner. Then she grinned wickedly. "And Howie tells me that, after just one night at your place, he's heard it all."

Now it was Skinner's to turn red. "Jesus, Howie! What were you doing? Listening in at the keyhole?"

"Hardly. They were probably complaining about the noise on the ground floor."

"You know," Mulder interjected, "maybe we should find a hotel after all. I mean, I wouldn't want the kids--"

Karen raised a hand. "Stop right there, mister. You're staying with us, and that's final. Don't worry about the kids. If Walt hasn't told you yet, the guest room's above the garage, at the opposite end of the house from the bedrooms, so you can carry on as loud as you want."

"Don't encourage them," Howard warned his wife. "These two could drown out a Stones concert."

"Howie!" Skinner growled, startling the dog.

"Can't you guys just abstain for a few days? Would a little self-control kill you?"

"You may be taller than me, little brother, but I can still kick your sorry ass..."

Mulder, his face the colour of summer-ripe watermelon, coughed, drawing the group's attention. "Uh, I can't speak for Walter, but I know that I'm not planning on having wild, wake-up-the-neighbours sex while I'm here. I'm just worried about the kids knowing that their uncle and I are sharing a bed."

Karen stared at him, the corners of her mouth slowly curling up. "Fox, dear boy, let me tell you something about my children. They've been around same-sex couples since they were babies. Besides, we've already told them that you and Walt live together like their father and I do. Trust me--they don't have a problem with the two of you sleeping in the guest room."

"Oh."

The mischief was back in Karen's eyes. "Were you really planning *not* to have wild, wake-up-the-neighbours sex in this house? How come?"

"Could we please change the subject to something a bit less humiliating?" Skinner begged.

"Sure. We can do that. How 'bout we discuss what's happening this weekend?"

"Karen, in case I haven't told you lately, I'm not the only Skinner who lucked out in the relationship department."

"Thanks, Walt."

The visitors then learned that Karen was taking the next day off to stay at home and visit with them. Howard had to give a couple of lectures in the morning, but would be free to join them for lunch and an afternoon of lounging around the pool. The weekend promised to be only slightly busier.

"Jenny and Cole still coming for dinner Saturday?"

Jenny was Walter and Howard's niece, the eldest daughter of their widowed sister, Margaret. Walter had given Jenny away when she married Cole Williamson a year ago.

"Uh-huh. Too bad Margaret can't make it, though."

"Where the hell is she again?" asked Howie. She'd become a world traveller since the death of her husband, and the professor could never keep track of his sister's hectic schedule.

"Mediterranean cruise," Karen provided. "Which is great for her, but too bad for the rest of us. You'd really like her, Fox. She's a fascinating woman."

Mulder gave her a crooked smile. "Maybe next time."

"Definitely. We'll save Walt and Howie's other sister and her family for then, too. By the time you leave Sunday, I think you'll have had your fill of Skinners."

Mulder grinned this time and shook his head. This visit wasn't at all what he'd expected. After the premiere of The Lazarus Bowl, he wasn't looking forward to facing another disaster. In fact, he'd tried to convince Skinner to go to Dallas without him so he could remain in LA with Scully, discussing such inconsequential matters as changing careers and painless methods of suicide.

But Skinner was most persuasive and, in the end, Mulder acquiesced.

Now he was beginning to think he'd made the right decision.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Just after midnight, the dog got up, nudged Howard's shin, then scampered over to the patio doors.

"God, look how late it is! Galbraith's gonna get a short walk tonight."

"Walt," Karen suggested, "why don't you go with him? Fox can keep me company while I tidy up."

Dark eyebrows crept above Skinner's wire-rims. "You just want to get rid of me so you can talk about me."

She gave him a "who, me?" look--the picture of innocence.

"Come on, Walt." Howard slapped his brother on the back. "We'll be back before she can do any real damage."

Mulder winked at his retreating lover, then helped gather glasses and carry them into the kitchen.

"So, you okay?" Karen asked.

He shrugged. "Yeah. I guess I'm not the best houseguest..."

"Oh, hush! You're fine. I'll talk to Heather tomorrow and tell her to turn it down a notch or two."

"No! Please! Don't embarrass her. She's just a kid. She kinda reminds me of my sister."

Karen closed the dishwasher and rested against its door. "Walt told me what happened to her. And your mother. I'm so sorry. You've had it pretty rough, haven't you?"

He tried for nonchalance. "Yeah, well, you know. But things have been good--really good--since Walter..."

"Good for him, too. I'm glad he's got you in his life. He's a changed man. A better man."

"What--" Mulder stumbled. "What was he like with Sharon? The only time I ever saw them together was when she was in the hospital."

"Oh, God! Nothing like the way he is around you. He wasn't miserable, exactly, but pretty damned close. I'm talking all the time. And he never looked at her the way he looks at you."

Mulder tried desperately, but he was powerless to stop the blush spreading rapidly from his neck to his forehead.

"That's something else I'd never seen him do until tonight," she laughed, indicating Mulder's own pink face. "I think you two are meant for each other."

Just then, the kitchen door swung open, admitting a blast of warm, magnolia-scented air as the Skinner brothers and Galbraith returned from their mission. After a comically clumsy round of handshakes and hugs, the two couples headed off toward their respective sleeping quarters.

"Feel like having a shower first?" Karen and Howard heard Skinner ask Mulder. "We've got our own bathroom."

They were too far away to hear Mulder's answer, but close enough to catch the low chuckles it produced.

"I knew you'd like him," Howard told his wife once they'd started undressing for bed.

"What's not to like? He's good-looking and smart and funny and sweet and totally head-over-heels in love with your brother. I think Heather's got a crush on him already."

"But doesn't Heather know--?"

"Yes, darling, she knows. But she doesn't care."

Howard sighed. "I don't understand women at all."

Karen quickly unpinned her thick, wavy hair and shook it out so that it fell seductively around her shoulders. Then she took Howard by both hands and tugged him toward the bed. "Come with me, big boy, and I'll show you something I know you'll understand."

For reasons he hadn't thought about earlier, Howard Skinner was thankful that the master bedroom and the guest room were at opposite ends of the house.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fini  
June 27, 2000

=====  
m. butterfly  
  
Fanfic--http://Skinner.Mulder.com/walfox


End file.
